Carbon capture plan is a colossal waste of money
GuardianSEP 2024
UK Invests £28.6M in Peak District Carbon Capture Project
Above: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October 2024. Image copyright: Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
The U.K.'s carbon capture strategy represents a pivotal moment for industrial decarbonisation. Britain has extensive North Sea storage capacity and world-class expertise that position it to lead an emerging global market. This technology holds groundbreaking potential to safeguard jobs, drive economic growth, and deliver a cleaner planet.
Opposition narrative
The U.K.'s carbon capture gamble is a costly distraction. Despite decades of development, the technology remains unproven at scale, with studies showing capture rates as low as 10%. This massive public investment merely diverts funds from proven solutions, placing taxpayers' money and U.K. energy prices at an unnecessary high risk.